March on the Mount
Embassy Mount loomed ahead of them. Five days march and they had almost arrived. Halleck sat on his horse, sipping hot water from his metal cup. Steam rose off the surface of the liquid, the heat radiating through his black gloves, it felt good. There was a stiff breeze today, he noted. His black cloak fluttered behind him and the gusts blew at the fur on his face. Embassy mount. The one place in the three lands where all parties could come and negotiate in safety. The one place where diplomatic immunity was guaranteed. Established a century ago shortly after the first Badgers arrived in the lands of Ebisius. It had been a shaky compromise, to keep the natives happy. Upon their arrival in Ebisius the Badgers had decimated the once proud Hedgehog Hegemony and now the flag of the Badger flies over the lands once occupied by Hedgekind. Halleck took a sip. The natives had not liked that. The entire continent threatened to rise up against this new menace from across the ocean. Halleck chuckled, 'They called us barbarian,. . . violent. . .,' 'the northern horde' was his personal favorite. He shook his head, 'these species have no idea what we were running from. How desperate we were.' he thought. He took another sip. The species had reached a compromise, a limit to the expansion of this new, fledgling, Badger nation. The neutral zone, an area where no nation held sway, an area of peace. An area. . . soon to be under the Badgerian flag. Halleck had been assigned to the XVII Legion as an advisor and overseer. He had just finished the morning brief with General Malcor and his command staff. Intel was that the other legions were having the same successes as they had. The sheer enormity and boldness of the plan still astounded Halleck. To sieze an area half the size of the Empire from under the noses of a sleeping Beaver nation. Technically it wasn't Beaver territory any more than it was badger, but even Halleck had to admit it was a little morally dubious. Much of the neutral zone had fallen in the first few days. The border outposts had been the first to fall. Their garrisons were a mix of Badger, Bear and Beaver to maintain the neutrality of the land. They had been taken abruptly as their Badger garrisons, under secret orders, turned on their fellows. Fast riders had been dispatched throughout the country with orders to eliminate any Beaver riders attempting to bring intelligence back to their superiors. All was proceeding well, thought Halleck and he drained the last of the water, now merely lukewarm. He rejoined the column marching towards the mount. As he rode past the infantry some gave him wary glances, others avoided his gaze. As an Inquisitor he was given both respect and fear in equal measure. His horse trotted along dutifully, blissfully unaware of the object of fear sitting on its back. As Halleck approached the front of the column he rode up next to General Malcor, 'General, how goes the march?' 'Well enough, we'll be at the base of the mound by sundown.' The general was a giant of a badger and infamously stubborn. He rode proudly at the head of the column, his steel breastplate gleaming in the morning sun with a brilliant scarlet sash across his front. Several of the general's aides trailed close behind him. 'Good' Halleck noticed a Beaver by the road. Common-born by the look of him, his clothes were tatters, although Halleck wasn't sure whether or not that was their natural state. Halleck laid a hand on the sword hilt at his thigh, expecting danger. It didn't come, the beaver just stared at the passing column of infantry, with a mixture of fear and disgust on his face. Halleck relaxed his hand when they passed him. 'How are the outriders?' 'We've snagged several more scouts today, one of them had the good grace to live long enough to make it to our cages. He's in one of them now, awaiting questioning.' 'I shall like to see him later.' The sun traced an arc across the sky as the day drew on. Embassy Mount grew larger in Halleck's vision. It was a sight, Halleck had to admit. A large collection of buildings perched atop a steep plateau. By sundown, true to the General's word, they were at the base of the Mount. Embassy Mount had no true walls or fortifications as such but the surrounding area was so steep it confined any access to narrow passes leading up to the summit. The General ordered the troops to make camp to await the arrival of the X Legion from the north. Within an hour, a vast city of tents had sprung up. Covering the rough land at the base of the mount with black and white cloth and a thousand separate fires. It was within one of these tents Halleck was sitting when he received a messenger. 'Lord Inquisitor?' a nervous voice came from the entrance. 'Yes?' 'General Malcor requests your presence in his command tent.' 'Tell him I'll be there shortly' 'Yes my lord.' the messenger gave a slight bow and departed. Halleck put down his reports and sighed. What does he want at this time of night? he thought as he fetched his effects. He clasped his sword and pistol to his belt. He gathered his cloak about him and after checking that everything was satisfactory he emerged from his tent. 'The bloody temperature's dropped out here' was his first thought as he emerged into the night air. The light from the thousand fires danced around him. Forming deep shadows in the alleyways of this makeshift city. Fewer people recognized him at night. Although he noticed that loud, merry conversations tended to die whenever he passed nearby only to resume moments later. A heavy set infantryman bumped into him as he passed. The man was so drunk the light knock almost set him off balance. 'Hey pal!' he shouted 'Would you waatch where you're bloody. . .' he turned to come at Halleck but at that moment two other infantrymen emerged from a nearby tent. The light from within illuminated Halleck to his drunken assailant. Halleck was impressed, despite being completely smashed, recognition flashed across the man's face and he instantly sobered up. In an instant Halleck had undone what had taken 4 hours and a mountain of alcohol. 'Oh! forgive me lord. . I didn't. . .uh. . .so sorry. . .' the man turned on the spot and marched off the other direction. Halleck chuckled as he watched the man stagger off. Precious little made him laugh nowadays but he'll treasure the look on that Badger's face for a long time. He eventually reached General Malcor's tent, the biggest and most decorated of course. The guards at the door saluted as he entered. He emerged within to find General Malcor and his command staff accompanied by some unexpected visitors. The general turned as Halleck entered. 'Ah Inquisitor!' the general boomed, 'Good you're here, maybe you can make some sense from this?' he gestured towards the visitors. They were beavers, three of them. They hadn't been captured either, that much was obvious. Had they come down from Embassy mount? To negotiate maybe? They had that calm look that diplomats always wore when faced with any situation. 'Who are they?' Halleck asked the General but before he could answer one of the Beavers spoke up. 'I am Ambassador Treiksky and with me are two fellow representatives of the Grond Tsardom. We have come to seek a peaceful resolve to this mess.' The accent was smooth, evidently fluent in Verleixi, the Badger language. The general's whiskers ruffled, off put at being interrupted. 'They want us to withdraw our forces from the neutral zone. I tell them we can't do that but they simply repeat their request but with longer words!' 'Negotiating is not simply repeating one's question , general,' the one called Treiksky shot the general a look,' we are prepared to reach a compromise. . .' 'What are your demands?' Halleck asked, being direct would probably be best in this situation he thought, 'As a member of the Badgerian Inquisition I have the authority to potentially implement any of your requests.' Treiksky turned to Halleck. 'We merely ask for a means to end this shambles. This ground was decreed to have no sovereign owner, a haven of peace in an otherwise hostile world.' This Beaver's good, Halleck thought. The Inquisition having trained him well in the arts of diplomacy and persuasion. Since he entered the tent he'd been studying the visitors closely. Subtle signals accompanied Treiksky's arguments, micro-expressions danced across his face to emphasize his points. His hands offering only goodwill. His posture humble and unassuming. His two accomplices nodding slightly in confirmation of their master's goodwill. But, they had chosen General Malcor as their target of persuasion. The thought almost made Halleck laugh. Had they chosen anyone else, they may have succeeded in convincing a legion commander away, but their silken words were useless against the boulder of Malcor. A badger of such stalwart stubbornness, rocks would have complemented his impassive nature. Treiksky continued, 'Please we beg you, allow this land to be the one place unravaged by war. If you continue with this folly, it will bring despair to both our nations.' Halleck was suspicious. Every other diplomat or beaver they had captured on the march had angrily protested the Badger's 'illegal annexation' of the neutral zone. This one barely blamed the invaders at all, what does he want? he wondered. Halleck put on a composure of understanding, offering Treiksky an alternate outlet for his persuasions other than the stone face of Malcor. 'I understand your concerns ambassador Treiksky, but the matter is not for me to decide. I, like these men here, have been ordered by our superiors to secure this area for the Empire. We will follow the orders that we've been given.' 'I admire your loyalty, but you do not understand the situation on top of Embassy Mount, we are swamped with refugees from the surrounding villages. The situation is grim. If we do not get assistance soon we could soon face food shortages.' Something isn't right here. What're they hiding? 'The refugees will be treated well' Halleck reassured Treiksky, 'I give my word as a Badger.' 'Forgive me, but Badger promises are worth little to us.' Treisky looked dismayed. It was a facade, Halleck knew but he dared not call it out. The beaver sighed 'I'm sorry we can't have worked this out amiably. It is such a loss.' He extended his hand to Halleck. Halleck eyed him suspiciously and shook it. 'We have to return to the mount and inform the others of this.' He turned to General Malcor. 'Please reconsider your actions here, it will lead only to ruin.' The general ordered troops to escort the ambassadors out. After they were gone the general turned to his remaining company. 'What did they hope to achieve?' the general asked, 'It wasn't like we'd just turn around because they asked us nicely.' 'It does seem suspect' Halleck agreed, 'If their plan was to sow discord among us, They've clearly failed at that as well.' Malcor shook his head, 'What's their game here? Something doesn't smell right!' Halleck nodded. Something doesn't smell right here, he thought. . .smell right. . .smell. . .he sniffed. Recognition flashed through him. The smell! It had been there the entire time, loitering in the background, it would have escaped his attention had he not been searching for it. His head shot up, looked round. None of the others picked it up. How could they? Would they have even recognized it? Ozone. The sharp stink of sorcery, of witchcraft! Halleck sniffed again. He darted round the room, drawing curious stares from Malcor and his command staff. 'Inquisitor? What's wrong?' Malcor asked. On the floor, what was that? Halleck stood over it. Coin sized, engraved with a symbol he didn't recognize. It began to glow. 'WITCHCRAFT! Move!' he grabbed Malcor and threw him from the tent. Behind his eyes he could feel a rising screeching sound. It grew in his mind. He dared not look back. He burst from the command tent, hauled the protesting general to his feet and half carried him away. He turned to shout back into the tent, 'Get !. . .' was all he managed before a great flash of light and sound erupted across his vision. A sickening, crawling feeling swept through him. his innards felt afire. His mental barriers immediately went up and felt the battering waves of psychic energy force themselves against his mind. He heard the groans of anguish from the general nearby. He would have had no such mental protection. Halleck squinted back at the tent. he put his hand up to shield his eyes. A corona of baleful light occupied the spot where the tent had been moments ago. Scraps of burning fabric fluttered down around him. Beneath the screeching in his head he heard the cries of confusion as the camp reeled from this shocking development. He turned back to the general, 'Are you alright?!' even though he'd yelled, his voice sounded quiet and slow. the general mumbled a stream of syllables in reply. Conscious, good. Halleck looked up to see several troopers rushing towards them, several of them had weapons. He stood over the general and pointed out two unarmed troopers 'You two! Get him to a medicus!' he pointed at the prone form of the general, on his side in the mud. His resplendent uniform covered in ash and dirt. Halleck pointed to three others. they were armed. 'You! Follow me, now!' They nodded obediently, no doubt thankful for some semblance of order. Halleck swept over the general 'The Beaver diplomats?!' he grabbed a nearby trooper 'Which direction?!' The Badger only pointed, no doubt taken aback at being the sudden object of an Inquisitor's wrath. Halleck stormed through the sea of tents, leaving the scene of chaos behind him. His three guards in tow. He barked orders to men as he passed them, to quell the fire now raging at the centre of the Badger camp and to make ready for battle. If they were to be ambushed, now would be the time to do it! Witchcraft! Those wretched creatures! 'Badger promises are worth little to us. . ' the words turned sour in Halleck's mind. They enter our camp under the banner of peace, and seek to assassinate our leadership! Lights flashed in the darkness ahead of him. Not fire yellow, but sickly green. The other two! Halleck thought, his mind racing, They must be sorcerers! The thought of allowing two practitioners of magic so close to senior staff was unthinkable. Why hadn't he recognized the stench of ozone before? how had they managed to drop a device unnoticed in the presence of a dozen Badgers? Halleck headed for the sickly green flashes. Darting to and fro between the tents. An infantryman lay still on the ground before them, face down in the mud. Dead, Halleck knew immediately. Sweeping over the corpse he came across more bodies, dozens. The beavers had obviously turned to less subtle means of escape once their plot had been initiated. Halleck drew his pistol, checked it, and drew his sword. Behind him his temporary honour guard were keeping pace, rifles ready. 'Expect combat!' he called back to them and hurried on. The green flashes were drawing nearer. Halleck's countrymen were unknowingly slowing down their adversary's escape with their lives. Several tents were aflame around him. Ignited by whatever infernal energies the Beavers had unleashed on these poor Badgers. He glanced a trooper in the distance, a flaming torch from head to toe. Halleck looked away, no time, can't help him now. The tents were growing thinner and the mount loomed ahead. they were reaching the edge of the camp. If they couldn't catch them soon, they'd be on the passage up to the summit. There would be little hope of engaging them on the steep, narrow climb. Halleck redoubled his efforts. He came to a clearing in the tents and saw his quarry. It was a scene of chaos. bodies lay everywhere. Baleful green fires flickered around on the ground . In the distance , the cause of such destruction. Halleck saw the ambassador hurrying away from him, his two 'representatives' flanking their master. They cast their hands about them and where ever they gestured a spout of flame erupted from their fingertips and consumed all in its path. 'There!' Halleck pointed, 'FIRE!' Three loud cracks of musket fire answered his call. One of the enemy figures sprawled to the ground. The two others turned to help their fallen comrade, but Halleck was already running. A lot of ground to cover between them and not much cover. The other sorcerer perceived Halleck charging them and wheeled to meet his advance. The sorcerer's hands came in an arc and flame erupted towards Halleck, he dived right. the tail end of his cloak singed against the horizontal column of flame. Halleck brought his pistol up and fired. A loud crack of fire and smoke filled his vision for a split second, replaced by a cry of pain. A hit, good! Unfortunately Halleck had only winged the figure in the shoulder. The figure stumbled, one arm useless. He flailed with his other arm. Flame once again erupted from the figure but it was undirected and scattered. He's weakened, Press the attack! Halleck closed the final distance between them but the Beaver had managed to draw his sword in those last few seconds. Halleck brought his sword down upon the enemy Steel met with a clang. The beaver parried the first blow and went for a lower cut. Halleck blocked and returned, pressing forward. His enemy was wounded, he had to seize the initiative. He feinted left but the enemy caught his cut. Halleck staggered back to stop his enemy's counter from gutting him. Halleck drove his point forward which his enemy diverted. But Halleck had anticipated the parry. Instead of recovering, Halleck threw himself forward, inside his opponent's guard and cracked the butt of his pistol against his opponent's skull. As his opponent reeled from the blow, Halleck impaled his enemy on his sword. the beaver's body grew limp and sagged to the ground. Halleck kicked the lifeless body from his sword and looked around. The ambassador was nowhere to be seen. Slinked off during the confusion no doubt. Relative quiet descended over Halleck. In the background were the shouts and screams of confusion but they were distant, muffled. His guards made their way to him, having just made the distance across the clearing. 'Did anyone see where the ambassador went?' a chorus of 'No, my lord' was his reply. Halleck cursed, and looked down at the body of the sorcerer. 'Burn the body, and the other one' he added, pointing to the prone form of the other Beaver lying a short distance away. The men made haste. Others emerged from the surrounding tents, some were wounded but all helped tame the fires and recover the camp. Halleck stood in the centre of the clearing. He retrieved a cloth from a pouch at his waist and wiped his sword clean. Behind him two new fires started to burn in the night. A mounted rider approached him from the tents. 'Inquisitor Halleck?' Halleck stowed his cloth away and sheathed his sword. 'Yes?' 'General Malcor sent me, my lord. He is alive, but wounded. I'm afraid sir, none of his senior command staff survived the attack.' The rider retrieved a small satchel and passed it to Halleck. 'The General has commanded that, as none of his staff survived and he is incapacitated, you, as senior Inquisitor with the legion should assume command until the General has recovered.' Halleck opened the bag and drew out a small, weathered medallion attached to a silver chain. It had engraved upon it the words 'Legio XVII, Imperator viri'. It was the seal of command, given to any badger who commanded a legion. Halleck understood and placed it around his neck. he turned back to the rider. 'Tell General Malcor that I shall assume command of his legion until such a time he is fit for service again.' the rider nodded, beginning to leave but Halleck stopped him, 'And, as the new commander- regent of the legion I issue this order, make ready the troops for battle and have any remaining senior officers report to my tent at once! Before the night is out, we will take Embassy Mount!' The rider nodded in understanding and tore off through the labyrinth camp. Halleck stood surrounded by soldiers preparing for war. Steel clanked and men yelled. He turned his gaze back up to Embassy Mount and as he stood there gazing at the dark expanse of rock, he thought he saw a small figure, almost halfway up the passage, staring back.